Creator:
Byrne, John
American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic

Collector:
Byrne, John
Condon, Mary
San José State College

Collection Size:
13 Boxes,
11.58 linear feet

Repository:
San José State University Library, Special Collections & Archives

San José, California 95192-0028

Abstract: Friends of Irish Freedom (FOIF), the
American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic (AARIR),
the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the
Irish Press (Dublin, Ireland),
the Irish Republican Prisoners and Soldiers Dependents Fund, and the
Celtic Cross Association are among the many Irish American organizations
that worked to support and fund Ireland's fight for independence.
This collection primarily consists of materials and documents from
the AARIR, but it also contains documents from other Irish American
organizations that relate to the administrative and fund raising
activities in which Irish Americans engaged. Additionally, there are
numerous Irish American newspapers, clippings, and pamphlets which
document the struggle for an Irish Republic.

Physical location:Vault 1, Range 26B

Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English and Irish.
Irish

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the San José State University
Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission
to publish or quote manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the
Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives as the
owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be
obtained by the reader.
Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of
the original materials. Use of digital files from or derived from these
collections is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred Citation

John Byrne Collection, MSS-1971-01-01, San José
State University Library, Special Collections & Archives.

This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant
project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008. The Project Director
is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.

Acquisition Information

This is an artificial collection and has been added to
by multiple individuals. However, the bulk of the materials
were donated by Dr. Mary Condon, professor of Irish History at San José State University in the 1960s. The remainder of the
collection
was compiled by San José State University library staff.

Custodial History

The bulk of the materials in this collection were
preserved and maintained by the Secretary-Treasurer of
the Southern California chapter of the AARIR, John Byrne.
John Byrne entrusted these materials to Dr. Mary Condon.

Biographical History

John Byrne was born circa 1866 on a small farm 25 miles south of Dublin near Asford, Wicklow County, Ireland. In 1906 Byrne
moved to Los Angeles, California and became instrumental in helping to fund the Irish nationalist movement. Friends of Irish
Freedom (FOIF) emerged in California in 1916, becoming the state's primary Irish American organization. Its main purpose was
to gain independence for Ireland. John Byrne was the Secretary-Treasurer of the Southern California chapter of the FOIF and
worked to promote the cause by writing letters and distributing pamphlets. When the FOIF of California merged with Eamon De
Valera's newly founded American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic (AARIR), Byrne became the Secretary-Treasurer
of the Los Angeles chapter. Although returning only once to Ireland, John Byrne devoted his life to the Irish nationalist
cause.

Bibliography

Sarbaugh, Timothy J.
John Byrne: The Life and Times of the Forgotten Irish Republican
of Los Angeles.
Southern California Quarterly. 63, no.4 (Winter 1981).

Scope and Content of Collection

This artifical collection consists of materials relating to the activities of Irish American organizations as they worked
to support and promote Irish independence. The bulk of the documents represented are mainly from the early twentieth century
and are primarily from the Los Angeles chapter of the American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic (AARIR).
Items from the merging of the Friends of Irish Freedom (FOIF) with the AARIR are also represented. Additionally, there are
a significant number of documents from other Irish American organizations which are represented, such as the Ancient Order
of Hibernians (AOH), the Celtic Cross Association, the
Irish Press, the American Trade Defense Commission, the Irish White Cross, the Irish Republican Prisoners and Soldiers Dependents Fund,
and the American League for the Irish Freedom Fund. The collection contains financial records, organizational correspondence
and personal correspondence, publicity and event documents, newspapers, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, oral history tapes
and transcripts, and other printed matter.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into four series:
Series I: Personal Correspondence;
Series II: Organizations;
Series III: Printed Matter; and
Series IV: Miscellaneous Related Material.